Japan Self-Defense Forces

The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are the unified military forces of Japan that were established in 1954. The JSDF is controlled by the Ministry of Defense, and it was created in 1954 after Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan - which deprived Japan of any military capability - was revised. The JSDF's main duty is to protect Japan, but it later became involved with international peacekeeping operations including United Nations peacekeeping and the Iraq War. In 2010, the JSDF began to increase cooperation with the United States, South Korea, Australia, and India as it focused on China's growing threat. In 2015, the JSDF had 247,150 personnel and 56,100 reservists.